The present invention relates to a route guidance system and a method for effectively guiding a pedestrian from a departure place to a destination along a route.
Recently, a route guidance system to guide a user from a departure point to a destination is variously developed. In general, a car navigation system is used as the route guidance system. On the other hand, only a few route guidance systems for the pedestrian exist manufactured as some products. A first product is a GPS (Grobal Positioning system) receiver in a portable terminal. The GPS receiver does not display a map and includes only the function to display a latitude and a longitude of the present position of the user and a distance and a direction to a registered landmark. Furthermore, in proportion to small sized GPS receiver, a product loaded in a wristwatch appears. However, these products are only used for the route guidance in fields and mountains and not used for the route guidance in town.
A second product is a portable terminal to display a map and town information retrieved from a CD-ROM or the Internet by calculating the user""s present location using GPS local positioning service of a cellular phone. The portable terminal is very convenient for the user to confirm the present position on the map and to check for neighboring store information. On the Internet, a service to retrieve town information and to display a route guidance map with the store information is widely used. Normally, it may be printed out before the user""s walk. If the user brings this portable terminal, he can utilize a service related to a place at any time and anywhere by easy operation. In this service now, the map and the address of store are only displayed. If the user""s course is indicated in the same way as the car navigation system, it is more convenient for the user. However, in the existing system, the user walks by deciding the route by himself while watching the displayed map. It is not utilized for the user""s walk while the course is indicated to the user in the same way as the car navigation system. Furthermore, walking while watching the map is dangerous. If possible, it is desired that the course is indicated by speech while the user is walking. Furthermore, in order to guide the route by indicating the course such as the car navigation system, a present location of the user is correctly acquired, and a suitable indication is executed at a timing when the user approaches a change point of the course. In case of the car navigation system, it is a prerequisite that a vehicle runs at one side of the road (left in Japan and right in the United States, for example). Accordingly, a relatively correct value is obtained from not only a GPS but also from various kinds of sensor means for correction such as a range finder or an acceleration sensor. Furthermore, because a position correction means using FM or beacon is arranged as infrastructure, a location of the particular vehicle is correctly specified.
On the contrary, in case of a pedestrian, the pedestrian walks on a sidewalk at an edge of the road. Accordingly, an electric wave of GPS is hard to be received in town and there are a few places to use GPS. Furthermore, an antenna of GPS is not fixed. In short, the antenna is not horizontally kept and the receiving accuracy is not stable. The position acquisition means by PHS also includes error such as 30xcx9c100 m, and a position error of one or two streets in a town possibly occurs. The speed of a pedestrian is low, and his view from the sidewalk is narrow. The scale of this error thus greatly impacts the pedestrian. As a result, it is difficult for the position of the pedestrian to be continually obtained accurately in the same way as in car navigation. For example, an indication such as xe2x80x9cPlease turn at the next intersection.xe2x80x9d is not executed at the correct location and timing. Accordingly, a route guidance method different from the car navigation system is necessary for the route guidance system for a pedestrian.
When driving a vehicle, a point to change the course is an intersection of the road, and the indication is executed by a name of the intersection and a representation such as xe2x80x9cnext intersectionxe2x80x9d. On the contrary, while walking, a signpost to specify the place is mainly a landmark such as a building. While the indication xe2x80x9cTurn to the right side at A intersectionxe2x80x9d is presented to a driver in the car, the indication xe2x80x9cTurn to the right side at an intersection with B bank located at a cornerxe2x80x9d is presented to the pedestrian. In the route guidance for the pedestrian, indication of the course by effectively using landmarks is very important.
As a landmark to guide the pedestrian, the object located at position easily viewable from the side walk at the edge of the road and apparently discriminated by the pedestrian is desired. However, the easy viewable object is varied by the environment and an outlook of the landmark itself. In case of selecting the landmark, its situation is taken into consideration. For example, a scenery of the same place varies at daytime and nighttime. Though a user can go the place at daytime, he often loses his way when he goes to the same place at nighttime, because the signpost is different at daytime and nighttime. For example, if a flower shop and a bar are located at same intersection, a colorful flower in the flower shop is conspicuous at daytime and a neon light of the bar is conspicuous at nighttime. Furthermore, a distance to confirm the landmark by eyesight is different by location of the landmark and time. Selection of the landmark to be confirmed from some point and timing to indicate the next landmark during walking is necessary to be controlled based on the distance from which each landmark is viewable.
On the other hand, frequent confirmation of the landmark often increases the user""s burden. For example, in case that a receiving condition of GPS is fine and the position is correctly obtained, the control to reduce the confirmation such as xe2x80x9cthe confirmation is only executed front and rear the intersection to change the course.xe2x80x9d is necessary. Reversely, in case that the receiving condition of GPS is not fine, the route guidance that the location is corrected by frequent confirmation is necessary.
A known system can display a present location obtained by GPS on a map. This small-sized system that is the same as prior car navigation system and is portable. Accordingly, the above-mentioned problem, peculiar to the pedestrian, is not taken into consideration. For example, function such as how to select the landmark confirmable by the pedestrian, how to confirm the landmark, how to determine a timing to confirm the landmark, and how to indicate the course, are not provided.
As mentioned-above, in the route guidance for a pedestrian, the landmark is necessary as information to confirm the place and it is important to present landmarks confirmable by a pedestrian. Furthermore, the landmark confirmable by a pedestrian varies by the time. Accordingly, it is necessary that the landmark confirmable by a pedestrian while walking is indicated. Furthermore, from the pedestrian""s location on the edge of a road, GPS is not easily utilized, and the location is not correctly obtained. Accordingly, in order to execute the route guidance by indicating the course to the user, correction of the location of the user is continually necessary by the user""s confirmation for the landmark.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a route guidance system and a method for a pedestrian to select a landmark adaptable to the walking environment and confirmable from the pedestrian by a many landmarks on the route, and to effectively present the landmark to the pedestrian.
According to the present invention, there is provided a route guidance system for a pedestrian, comprising: an input unit configured to input a departure place and a destination of the pedestrian as a user; a route data memory configured to storing route data representing position and connection of each route consisting of a road network; a route calculation unit configured to calculate a route from the departure place to the destination by referring to the route data in said route data memory; a landmark memory configured to storing landmark data for the pedestrian""s confirmation, a landmark representing a signpost of the departure place, the destination, and the route; a landmark selection unit configured to select the landmark data corresponding to the route calculated by said route calculation unit from said landmark memory; and a presentation unit configured to present a route guidance for the pedestrian by using the route calculated by said route calculation unit and the landmark data selected by said landmark selection unit.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a route guidance system for a pedestrian, comprising: a receiver configured to receive data representing a departure place and a destination transmitted from a portable terminal of the pedestrian; a route data memory configured to storing route data representing position and connection of each route consisting of road network; a route calculation unit configured to calculate a route from the departure place to the destination by referring to the route data in said route data memory; a landmark memory configured to storing landmark data for the pedestrian""s confirmation, a landmark representing a signpost of the departure place, the destination, and the route; a landmark selection unit configured to select the landmark data corresponding to the route calculated by said route calculation unit from said landmark memory; and a transmitter configured to transmit route guidance data using the route calculated by said route calculation unit and the landmark data selected by said landmark selection unit to the portable terminal of the pedestrian.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a route guidance method for a pedestrian, comprising the steps of: inputting a departure place and a destination of the pedestrian; calculating a route from the departure place to the destination by referring to prestored route data representing position and connection of each route consisting of a road network; selecting a landmark corresponding to the calculated route from prestored landmark data representing a signpost of the departure place, the destination, and the route; and presenting a route guidance for the pedestrian by using the calculated route and the selected landmark data.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a computer readable memory containing computer readable instructions, comprising: an instruction unit for causing a computer to input a departure place and a destination of the pedestrian; an instruction unit for causing a computer to calculate a route from the departure place to the destination by referring to prestored route data representing position and connection of each route consisting of a road network; an instruction unit for causing a computer to select a landmark corresponding to the calculated route from prestored landmark data representing a signpost of the departure place, the destination, and the route; and an instruction unit for causing a computer to present a route guidance for the pedestrian by using the calculated route and the selected landmark data.